SPORTS DIGEST: James Nolan and David McCarthy, both finalists at the World Indoor championships earlier this year, will open their domestic outdoor season at the AAI games in Navan this Saturday, writes Ian O'Riordan.
The meeting also acts as the trial for next month's two international meetings in Lativa.
Nolan has recently returned from his second stint of training in South Africa and will move up a distance to compete over 3,000 metres, although the metric mile remains his main focus of the summer.
For McCarthy, the novel 300 metre distance will be used as a build-up towards his effort of securing a qualifying time over 4,000 metres for the World Championships in Paris next August. Also included in that race is the fast-improving 20-year-old David Gillick, who last month clocked 47.78 seconds for 400 metres at the Irish University Championships.
The women's 800 metres has perhaps attracted the strongest line-up, including Dundrum's Aoife Byrne and Cork's Freda Davoren. And there are signs that 400 metre specialist Karen Shinkins is considering a move up to the two-lap event, having recently clocked 2.10 in the US.
Athletics Ireland have also launched their new website on www.athleticsireland.ie, which will include regularly updated fixtures, ranking lists and news from around the country.
RUGBY: Leinster coach Matt Williams has led the many tributes to Leinster, Irish and Lions prop Paul Wallace, who has formally announced his retirement from playing rugby.
"Paul is the ultimate professional sportsman and will be a loss to the Leinster team," Williams said. " I hope he can continue in the future in coaching or some other capacity with Irish rugby."
He won 46 senior caps for Ireland. In the 1997 Lions Tour to South Africa, he won three Test caps.
CYCLING: The Dublin Iarnrod Eireann team is aiming for a strong performance in the FBD Milk Rás, despite losing two of its strongest riders to the Irish team in recent weeks, writes Shane Stokes. Andrew Donnellan and Vincent Gleeson had been lined up to ride with the squad, but were then called up by national team manager Frankie Campbell to compete as part of the Irish quintet, alongside Ciarán Power, David O'Loughlin and Tommy Evans.
Dublin Iarnrod Eireann manager Liam Walker has nevertheless amassed a good squad, with Paul Griffin hoping to land a high overall placing in the 2.5-ranked international race, which starts this Sunday. Griffin was ninth in 2001.
French-based John Dempsey, Kieran McMahon, Matthew Slattery and John Peppard will join Griffin in the team's distinctive orange jerseys for the eight-day event, and will be targeting the best county team award.
TENNIS: Lleyton Hewitt claimed his second nailbiting victory in two days when he edged past Arnaud Clement of France 6-7 6-4 7-6 to reach the third round of the Hamburg Masters yesterday.
It took the Australian world number one more than three-and-a-half hours to squeeze out the victory, which followed a two-hour 22 minute battle on Tuesday against German wild card Markus Hantschk.
"I'm trying to make my three set matches into five-setters so I've got good preparation for the French Open (later this month)," Hewitt said.
HURLING: Champions Tipperary held on for a narrow 1-9 to 2-1 win over Limerick in a low-key Munster Minor Hurling semi-final at Thurles last night. They will meet Cork in the final.
In a scrappy encounter, Tipperary held the initiative in the first half, helped by a Ritchie Ruth goal in the fifth minute. A goal from a 20 metre free by Patrick Kirby in the twenty fifth minute kept Limerick in touch but at half time Tipperary led by 1-3 to 1-1.
TIPPERARY: D Egan, I Delaney, S Ryan, B O' Sullivan, R McGrath, P Stapleton, C Hayes, K Bergin (0-1), M Heffernan, D Morrissey, P Ryan, J Woodlock, R Ruth (1-5), D Sheppard (0-1), S Cleary. Subs: S Long (0-2) for Cleary, J McLoughney for P Ryan, C O' Brien for Woodlock, D Hickey for Morrissey, T King for Heffernan.
LIMERICK: M Fitzgerald, N Morrissey, H Foster, S Walsh, D Moloney, O Benson, D Breen, J Hargrow, P Russell, P McNamara (1-0), E O' Leary, P Cregan, R Ryan, S Ryan, P Kirby (1-1). Subs: B Hayes for R Ryan, C O'Brien for S Ryan, C Quinn for D Moloney, B Butler for E O'Leary.
Cork made it through to the final with a 0-11 to 0-7 win over Clare at Kilmallock. They got off to the perfect start when corner forward Brendan Ring and Michael Allen shared four points and they went on to lead 0-7 to 0-2 at the break.
CORK: C Barry, E O'Sullivan, N Horgan, M Foley, S O'Neill, M Aherne, B Clifford, D Lucey (0-1), M Harrington. B Barry (0-2), B Coleman (0-1) K Canty, M Allen (0-3), A O hAilpin (0-1), B Ring (0-2). Subs: M O'Sullivan (0-1) for Ring, R Conway for Harrington, B Canty for K Canty.
CLARE: C Devitt, M Liddane, E Collins, B McNamara,A Brigeale, M Hawes, B Bugler, M O'Hanlon (0-1), R Keane (0-3), D O'Halloran, N McMahon, N Dunne (0-1), K Kierse (0-1), C Lafferty, B Gaffney (0-1) Subs: A Kilmartin for Liddane, J Clancy for McMahon, A browne for O Halloran.
